


A Conversation

by FudgingPastry



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alcohol, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Dialogue Heavy, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26828362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FudgingPastry/pseuds/FudgingPastry
Summary: Valijoza talks to Umbre about Slenoris' desire to never talk about her feelings. A continuation to "Does It Get Easier?".





	A Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> Character/class list below:  
> Slenoris, blood elf demon hunter  
> Valijoza, troll monk  
> Umbrexosso (Umbre for short), undead warlock

"And then that motherfucker hit the ground and we dove on him!" Slenoris clapped her hands together, the claws on her armor clanging with a noise that sent Valijoza's ears flattening. She dropped down next to Slenoris and Umbre, waving a hand at the bartender for a drink.

"Hey Val," Slenoris greeted before tipping back her drink. "You got any fun stories?"

"I kicked a k'thir so hard in his skull, he fell over dead," she said with a shrug.

"Stories, Val. I said stories!"

"Not right now. I need to talk to you about something." Valijoza thanked the server when they set down her drink and turned back to Slenoris. The sin'dorei had crossed her arms, eyes narrowed at the mention of a talk. There went the walls again. "Did Karroro talk to you?" 

"No. We spent the afternoon training." Her body language softened a touch. "It helped."

"Talking about it might help more, Slenoris. It's-"

"No! I've told you before! I'm not doing this!" Slenoris snarled, slamming her hands on the table. Umbre had picked up her tea so it wouldn't spill, watching the argument unfold with barely a look of surprise.

"Slenoris, please," Valijoza started, reaching over to rest a hand on hers. Slenoris snatched her hand away. She stood up so fast, she nearly knocked over the table. Umbre's felguard steadied the table, then quickly ducked out of the way. 

"I'm fucking out of here. If you need me,  _ don't _ ," she hissed as she stalked out the tavern.

"Slenoris! You can't keep running away from this!" Valijoza called after her.

"Fucking watch me!" With a screech from her felbat, Slenoris flew away. Back in the tavern, Valijoza dropped her head in her hands.

"What are we going to do with her, Umbre?" She groaned into her hands.

"Well, for starters, you can stop that." Umbre sipped her tea as Valijoza lifted her head.

"Stop what?"

"Trying to force her to talk."

"But talking will help! I'm sure of it!"

"Not always." Umbre sipped her tea again. Valijoza leaned back in her chair, unconvinced. 

"How can you be so sure? It's not like she's talked to you about it either." When the Forsaken didn't respond, Valijoza's eyes widened. She leaned forward, voice a hushed whisper like they were sharing secrets. "She told  _ you _ ?  _ When _ ? What did she say?"

Umbre lifted her eyes to the troll, expression blank. With a sigh, she set down her tea and gave Valijoza a firm look. "Slenoris told me because she trusted that I wouldn't tell. What she needs won't come from talking. You heard her today. Training with Karroro helped. That helped where talking doesn't."

"Okay. Then what does she need?"

"An outlet. Ah, no, not talking," Umbre overruled Valijoza when she opened her mouth to speak. "Think about it. Slenoris spent decades fighting demons. All the Illidari did. That's  _ all  _ she did. And when the Illidari joined us in our fight against the Legion, she fought demons then too. Demons, as a whole, are mindless destroyers. Even the demons I command are somewhat mindless. Hush," she said to her felguard as it made a move to protest. “So when Slenoris would need to release some frustration or deal with her emotions, a lot of demons would end up dead. But then we went to Zandalar and Kul Tiras. And now she can’t go on a murderous rampage and be justified no matter what. She needs an outlet and right now, training dummies are her best bet. It’s unsatisfactory as all hell, but it is all she has.”

“So you think training with Karroro helped?” 

“I don’t think it was the training. At least, not just that. You talked to Karroro, yes?”

“He wanted to know how he could help people. I told him to show that he was there for people.”

Umbre sighed and dropped her face into her hand. Valijoza felt like she was missing something that was obvious. This happened sometimes. She would miss something obvious that it became a joke among them. ‘Bold of you to assume that I have eyes,’ she said once. Slenoris had snickered and it even brought a smirk to Nikkhon’s face.

“Take your own advice for once, Miss Grandmaster,” Umbre said, annoyed by Valijoza missing this obvious thing.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh my god.” Umbre rubbed her temples, then leaned across the table. “Karroro showed that he was there. That he was available. And he didn’t push something Slenoris doesn’t want to talk about. She told me what happened in her past and all it did was bring back painful memories. There’s nothing left  _ to _ talk about with her. What is left is a lot of pain. And Slenoris doesn’t know how to deal with that pain. She didn’t need to before, what with demons being there to take the blame. Now that demons are not much of an issue, what is there to take the blame besides herself?

“What I think helped her the most is that she didn’t need to worry about it. Karroro didn’t ask. Karroro might want to know, sure, but he knows when to keep his thoughts to himself. All they did yesterday was train. No talking. Just focusing on the task at hand and she said that helped. So take your own advice and stop trying to do something that’s not working. Show that you’re there for her and maybe she’ll respond better to you.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” Valijoza asked.

Umbre shrugged. Valijoza leaned back in her chair further and sighed. “All that knowledge and wisdom and you don’t have an answer for that question?”

“What more do you want from me?” Umbre smiled and, after a moment, Valijoza returned the smile. “If you want wisdom, try that meditating thing you monks are so good at. All I’ve got is the patience needed to work with these fucks.” She stuck her thumb at her felguard. The felguard tapped its axe on the floor and looked away. 

“I know you love them,” Valijoza said, a smile growing across her face.

“Of course I do. They do take a strong will to handle, of course.” Umbre patted her felguard’s head, an affectionate expression on her face. She eyed her friend. “So, Val. What are you going to do now?”

Valijoza looked down in her glass, then knocked it back. “I think, I’ll do that meditating thing I’m so good at. Here, for a hot cup of tea.” She dropped some money on the table, of which Umbre took and picked up her cup of now cold tea.


End file.
